The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
NEW DELHI, NOV 1, 2021
“Prime Minister’s historic and farsighted approach led to the launch of Udaan scheme, which enabled the common citizen also to fly, and brought about democratization of the sector,” said Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia.
Inaugurating the IndiGo flight between Kanpur and Bengaluru today, the Minister said that the airfares have dipped substantially, and airfares are now less than long-haul trains.
Under the scheme, 100 new airports will be constructed, and 1000 new routes will start, he added.
Scindia said that the country had just 75 airports earlier but in the last 7 years, 62 more airports have been added.
Regarding Uttar Pradesh, he said that there were 2 operational airports in the state but the number has now gone up to 9, covering 80 destinations. Soon, the number of operational airports will jump to 15 in the state.
There were only two international airports in Uttar Pradesh, and third one was added recently in Kushinagar, and soon two more at Ayodhya and Jewar will be coming up.
Inaugurating the IndiGo flight between Kanpur and Bengaluru, Scindia said, “This new route will not only enhance connectivity to/from Kanpur but will also promote trade, commerce and tourism between these cities.”
“Kanpur is not only an important industrial hub of the country, but also has historic and spiritual importance. It played pivotal role in the Indian freedom movement in 1857. Due to its textiles and leather industry, Kanpur was called Manchester of East,” the Minister said, adding that with the connectivity of the city with three major cities, the aircraft movement from there will jump from 20 to 41 per week, giving impetus to the industrial and business activities and also generating employment.
He further said that as far as the infrastructure for aviation is concerned, the new terminal for the Kanpur city will be ready soon, within the stipulated time, at the cost of Rs 106 crore.
